N4T: Tax return delays

Everyday for nearly a year Marlene Atwood checked her mail hoping her tax rebate would be there.

Every time it wasn't she says she knew she would have to keep cutting back.

"I needed that money. Mostly the food bill is where I ended up cutting back," said Atwood.

Atwood's problem with the Internal Revenue Service started shortly after she filed her 2015 taxes.

With the help of her friend Jill Goodwin, Atwood submitted her return lat March.

After that Atwood says she encountered a string of delays, deletions, and repeated visits to IRS offices.

"In April they told me to come back in 3 months, in June it was 45 days, in July 6 weeks, and then in September they told me my return was deleted. When I filed another one they had two so they thought one was a fraud," said Atwood.

Goodwin says the entire process has been harder on Atwood than she'd like to admit.

"it's just stress,stress, stress everyday. People depend on their taxes they know when they submit it...they know approximately how long it's going to take to get it but when that doesn't happen you uplift their whole world into turmoil."